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ADDRESSES 



ON THE OCCASION OF THE DEATH OF THE 



HON. ROBERT R. REED, 

A KEI'EESENTATIVE FKOM THE COUNTY OF WASHINGTON, 



DELIVERED IN THE 



SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 



COMMONWEALTH OF TENNSYLVANIA, 



JAIVUARY -£, 1S65. 



PKIMED BJ ORDER OF THE SEME AND BOISE OF EErRESESTAIlVES 



HARRISBURG: 

SINGERLY & MYERS, STATE PRINTERS. 

1865. 






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01 SZCHANOB. 
D B P«»nni-p..~2r«f 



'■■V. 6 tatih 



In the ITouse of Representatives, 
January 13, 1865. 
Mr. M'Clure offered the following resolution, which was 
twice read, considered, and adopted, viz: 

Resolved, That five thousand copies of the proceedings of 
the Senate and House of Representatives, relating to the death 
of lion. R. R. Reed, a member elect of this body, be printed 
in suitable pamphlet form, for the use of this House. 

Extract from the Journal. 

ADIN W. BENEDICT, 

Clerk. 



In the House of Representatives, 
January 13, 1865. 
Mr. Smith (Philadelphia) offered the following resolution, 
which was twice read, considered, and adopted, viz: 

Resolved, That a Committee of three be appointed to super- 
intend the publication of the proceedings (heretofore ordered) of 
the Senate and House of Representatives, on the occasion of the 
announcement of the decease of Robkrt R. Reed, late a member 
fi'om the County of Washington, in such manner as may seem to 
them appropriate. 
Ordered that 

William F. Smith, of Philadelphia, 
Cykus L. Persuing, of Cambria, and 
James R. Kelley, of Washington, 

be the said Committee. 

E.x.tract from the Journal. 

ADIN W. BENEDICT, 

Ckrk. 






In the Senate of Pennsylvania, 
January 13, 1865. 

Mr. Worthington offered the following resolution, which 
was twice read, considered, and adopted, viz: 

Resolved, That there be printed, for the use of the Senate, 
three thousand copies of the proceedings of the House and 
Senate, relative to the death of Dr. E. E. Eeed. 

Extract from the Journal. 

GEO. W. IIAMEESLY, 

Ckrk. 



In the Senate of Pennsylvania, 
January 30, 1865. 

Mr. Worthington offered the following resolution, which 
was twice read, considered, and adopted, viz : 

Resolved, That the proceedings of the Senate and House, in 
relation to the death of Dr. E. E. Eeed, heretofore ordered by 
the Senate to be printed, be printed and bound in a style 
similar to those furnished to the House. 

Extract from the Journal. 

GEO. W. HAMEESLY, 

Clerk. 



OBITUARY ADDRESSES. 



House of Representatives, State of Pennsylvania, 
Wednesday, January 4, 1865. 

Mr. Kelley rose and addressed the House as fol- 
lows : — 

Mr. Speaker, the melancholy duty devolves upon me 
of announcing to the House the death of my colleague. 
Dr. Reed, which occurred on the 14th of last month. 
The circumstances, as I understand them, ai'e briefly 
these: Some members of his family, being on a visit to 
a neighboring town, contracted varioloid. Most of the 
household were taken ill with it. He nursed and 
attended them almost day and night, completely exhaust- 
ing himself, until at last he, too, was stricken down with 
the malady in its worst form. For four or five days the 
symptoms appeared favorable, and the belief was enter- 
tained by his physician that he would soon be convales- 
cent. But, on the morning of the 14th, a great change 
was perceptible in the symptoms. The disease had 
receded, and although his physician applied every means 
known to medical science, he sunk rapidly, and died at 
ten o'clock that night. 



OBITUARY ADDRESSES. 



The sad and unexpected event has caused the pro- 
foundest sorrow in the community where he lived and 
was much beloved, and, indeed, all over the western 
portion of the State, where he was widely known and 
universally esteemed. The death of a good man is a 
public calamity. It creates a void in society difficult to 
be filled. It comes home to our hearts with a thrill of 
sorrow, for we know how sadly we shall miss him. In 
every sphere of life and usefulness in which he has 
moved he will be missed, and in every relationship in 
which he has stood towards us. We meet no more the 
intelligent and courteous gentleman — the kind and 
accommodating neighbor — the generous, warm-hearted 
friend — the useful, trustworthy, and public spirited 
fellow-citizen — the benevolent and whole-souled philan- 
thropist — and the earnest, sincere, and steadfast Christian 
man and brother. All these characters united we have 
lost in him whose memory I desire to honor, and on 
whose bier I would seek to throw a farewell chaplet of 
love. 

He was the soul of courtesy and gentlemanly bearing. 
All who came within the sphere of his acquaintance were 
attracted to him by his suavity of manner, and gentle, 
winning disposition. A frown never darkened his brow, 
nor a harsh word fell from his lips. "Wherever you met 
him, and under whatever circumstances, he was always 
the same. Those present, who were members of the last 



OBITUARY ADDRESSES. 



House, will, I know, coincide in this statement. Here, 
as well as at home, he was loved and esteemed — even by 
those with whom he differed politically. But it is unne- 
cessary to enter into any detail of his noble qualities. 
His memory needs not a tribute from me, for it is one 
which will ever live in the hearts of all who knew him. 
His deeds speak for him, and they make up a record 
which shall long do honor to his name. In every posi- 
tion of trust and distinction to which his fellow-citizens 
saw fit to elevate him, he discharged his duties faithfully 
and zealously, and with scrupulous exactness. In the 
Congress of the United States, of which he was formerly a 
member, as well as here in this House — to which he was 
sent greatly against his own desire, and at much sacrifice 
of personal feeling — he was always found in the path of 
duty, laboring earnestly and fiiithfully for the public 
good, and never animated or swayed by a single selfish 
consideration. Throughout the whole of the tedious and 
laborious session of last winter, though suft'ering continu- 
ally from ill health, he was constant and unremitting in 
his attention to duty, his seat in the House or place in 
the committee-room seldom being vacant, and I have 
often known him to drag himself to his duties when 
scarcely able to walk from his room to the capitol. The 
same is true of him in every other sphere of duty in 
which he moved. To that which he found to do he 
directed all the energies of his mind, never swerving nor 



8 OBITUARY ADDRESSES. 

hesitating for a moment when his course of action was 
clear before him. 

He was the friend of the poor and needy. His car 
was ever open to the call of charity, and his hand ever 
ready to relieve the wants of the suffering. No trouble 
or distress was ever brought to his knowledge without 
enlisting his warm sympathy and generous aid. In the 
homes of the poor and destitute which his benefoctions 
had often brightened, as well as in his own loved and 
happy home, of which he Avas the idol, he will be sadly 
missed. 

He was the devoted and steadfast friend of every 
moral and benevolent movement. The cause of temper- 
ance early found in him a warm and ardent advocate, and 
he enforced its principles by his own example, at a time 
when it exposed him to much censure and ridicule. But 
a short time ago he expressed to me his pleasure in 
having lived to see the time when the doctrines he had 
so long taught and practised, almost alone, had become 
the recognized law of the community where he lived. 
He was also for many years the zealous friend of the 
colonization enterprise, and labored arduously to promote 
the success of the scheme, giving freely his time, labor, 
and means to the cause. In this, too, he was blessed, 
inasmuch as he was permitted to witness the almost utter 
removal from the land of that evil which he strove so 
assiduously to eradicate. And though the violence and 



OBITUARY ADDRESSES. 



bloodshed which it has bvoiiglit upon the country cost 
him suffering and bereavement, still, like a good and true 
patriot, he considered the cause worthy of the sacrifice. 

An ardent lover of his country, he prescribed no 
limits to the obligations he owed her. His influence was 
constantly exerted in favor of the preservation of the 
integrity of the Government. The brave soldiers of the 
Union possessed in him a true friend. He visited the 
battle-fields and devoted to them his professional services 
often to the injury of his own health. He contributed of 
his means to ameliorate their condition. He allied him- 
self warmly to the Christian Commission and served as a 
delegate, and no soldier of the Union, either in the field 
or at home, solicited his aid or influence in vain. His 
heart was in the work, and devoted to the cause of the 
country, and he esteemed no sacrifice too great that he 
could make. He adorned the Christian profession by a 
life of steady, unceasing usefulness, and attention to the 
wants of humanity, and an earnest, sincere, and conscien- 
tious rectitude in all his dealings and intercourse with 
his fellow-men, as well as by a character for devout 
attachment to morality and religion which few have 
attained. The Sabbath School connected with the 
church to which he belonged was presided over by him 
for a quarter of a century, and there, as here and else- 
where, he will be missed. 

But in one place above all others in the wide uni- 



10 OBITUARY ADDRESSES. 

verse, he will be most sadly missed. In his home. That 
home, before so happy. The habitation of contentment 
and joy and love, and the strongest attraction of earth to 
him. When abroad, the place to which, of all others in 
the world, he yearned to turn his steps. I well remember 
with what gladness of heart he prepared to return thither 
at the close of the wearisome session last spring. I recall 
with what solicitude he looked forward to the time Avhen, 
the trying ordeal of legislative duties past, he could settle 
down once more in the calm, quiet happiness of home, in 
the midst of his loved and loving family circle. Alas! 
there, indeed, the desolation of his absence will gather 
like a deep shadow of gloom. We miss his friendly face 
among us here. The interest of his locality and tlie State 
at large will miss liis care and attention. Enterprises of 
benevolence, charitable associations, and the poor and 
needy, will miss his generous aid. The cause of the 
country, the church and Sabbath School, his constituents, 
neighbors, and friends will miss him. But, oh! none of 
these will feel his loss nor miss him so much as the 
partner of his bosom and the children of his love. 
Theirs is the sorrow which endures. Others may forget 
him. The places he occupied in society may, in time, 
be filled again, but the places of husband and father must 
forever remain vacant. And though they may feel and 
know that the loved one has made a hap])y exchange — 
that he has just gone from a life which, however blessed 



OBITUARY ADDRESSES. 11 

by love, and favored by fortune, has still much of cave 
and sorrow, to a state of existence where no sadness ever 
enters — still the reflection that here on earth they will 
never behold him again, is fraught with much bitterness 
and grief To them, his sorrowing brother and other 
afflicted relatives, the warmest sympathies of my heart 
go out, and my most fervent wishes that they may be 
sustained and soothed in their sore bereavement by Him 
Avho alone can "Speak peace to the troubled soul;" and 
in this expression I doubt not that all of you here, who 
knew the deceased, most heartily join. 

My own share in this bereavement has cost me many 
a pang of heart, and much real sorrow. It is brought to 
my recollection, in all its first freshness, by the place and 
presence in which I now stand. I feel a deep sense of 
sadness and desolation here, even although the familiar 
faces of many acquaintances greet my eyes. My col- 
league and dear friend is gone. I see him no more in 
the seat he was wont to occupy. I miss the warm pres- 
sure of his hand and kind greeting when I come here in 
the morning ; I miss his fatherly care and wise counsel ; 
I miss the anxious interest and tender sympathy which 
he always bestowed upon me; I miss the example of his 
honest, straightforward, unselfish course ; and, oh ! I miss, 
perhaps more than all — the incentive to lead a virtuous, 
upright life, and the influences for good which he always 
endeavored to throw around me. My loss is great 



1 



12 OBITUARY ADDRESSES. 



indeed, for where can I find another to fill his place? 
On whom can I rely as I did upon him] Who, with 
the same noble heart and generous impulses, the same 
tender feeling and entire self-abnegation, shall ever 
become to me the same confidant and friend? To him I 
went, as to a father, in all my griefs and troubles, and 
never failed to receive his warm interest and soothing 
sympathy. 

These losses, Mr. Speaker, are the most bitter, and, 
at the same time, the most useful lessons that we learn 
in life. They arc those which impress themselves most 
deeply upon us. They come in the shape of admonitions 
which we cannot disregard. The friend of our soul is 
taken away suddenly in the midst of health and strength 
and hope. It is an arrow very near to our own hearts. 
It is a voice of warning in our ears, saying, "Be ye also 
ready." AVe reflect too little upon the transitory nature 
of our lives, and the fact that death may come at any 
moment. The interests of the world, its cares, allure- 
ments, or follies, engross too much of our time and atten- 
tion. We live as if we had a fixed lease of life, or as 
though we should remain here forever. Viewed in the 
light of death and eternity, of what moment seem these 
things of earth! How little and insignificant appear the 
influences that move us! Could we interrogate our 
friend now and ask which of all the characters we ascribe 
to him, brought him the most favor at the bar of Heaven, 



OBITUARY ADDRESSES. 13 

•would he not answer that of Christian ? Not the enlight- 
ened, useful, and honored public man — not the patriot 
nor philanthropist, even — but the earnest, sincere, and 
humble follower of Christ who is esteemed there. 

This voice of warning, this solemn admonition, gen- 
tlemen, has been addressed to us. One of our number 
has been called away, and none of us know how soon we 
must follow. Let us hearken to it, and so fashion our 
lives, and direct our course, that when death comes, even 
should it come as unexpectedly as it did to him of whom 
I speak, we may, like him, be fully prepared, and in the 
last hour be able to express our perfect confidence of 
heavenly bliss. 

My friend and father! may I be enabled to emulate 
thy virtues and follow in thy steps! And, oh! when the 
stern summons comes, may I, like thee, be found ready — 
leaving behind me, as thou hast done, a name which none 
can censure, but all must praise. 

Mr. Speaker, I offer the following resolutions: — 

Resolved, That this House has heard with deep regret, the 
announcement of the death of the Hon. Egbert R. Reed, a 
member from Washington County. 

Resolved, That in his death the Commonwealth has lost an 
able and faithful representative, and this House one of its most 
useful and accomplished members. 

Resolved, That we deeply sympathize with the afflicted 
family of the deceased, and bear to them the assurance that the 



14 OIUTUARV AnnUF. SSES. 



esteem of his fellow members was as fully merited as freely 
given. 

Resolved, That, as a mark of respect to his memory, the 
members of this Ilouse will wear the usual badge of mourning 
thirty days. 

Resolved, That the Clerk of the Ilouse be directed to for- 
ward a copy of these resolutions to the family of the deceased. 

Resolved, That out of respect to his memory this House do 
now adjourn. 

The resolutions were read a second time. 

Mr. M. S. Quay: 

Mr. Speaker, liaving been elected from the same 
district with Mr. Reed — a district in which he was 
widely known and respected — it is, perhaps, not im- 
proper that I shonld join with my colleague, who has 
enjoyed his fellowship upon this floor, in off"ering tribute 
to his memory. Though it was not my privilege to be 
officially associated with him here, our private relations 
were such as to teach me his worth. No one, indeed, I 
think, could encounter him, however cursorily, in the 
ordinary intercourse of life, and fail to recognize and 
respect in him those virtues and social amenities which 
went to perfect his character as a pure-hearted Christian 
gentleman. It was as such that I knew him, and when 
I was told that the hand of the Almighty had rested 
upon him, I felt that a just and good man had gone to 
his final reward. 



OBITUARY ADDRESSES. 15 

As my colleague has mentioned, he represented the 
counties of Beaver and Washington in the National Con- 
gress, and, but a brief period previous to his decease, had 
been selected to represent them here. As a citizen, a 
legislator, a Christian, and a friend to the country, he 
enjoyed, in the highest degree, the confidence and esteem 
of their people. As a citizen he was prompt in the dis- 
charge of his civic duties, active in the advancement of 
the industrial, educational, and financial interests of his 
community, and an earnest and liberal supporter of the 
public charities of the day. As a legislator, we knew 
him to be able and incorruptible. He aimed here, as 
elsewhere, only at the efficient discharge of his duty, and 
no member upon this floor pursued more unselfishly than 
he the interests of the Commonwealth and his constitu- 
ency. And to his native intellect and integrity, his 
benevolence of heart and devotion to duty, were super- 
added that implicit faith in the divine truth and constant 
regard for its teachings, which embellish the best of 
characters. 

In the great struggle now convulsing the nation, it 
was his fate to suffer sore bereavement; but the dispen- 
sation which sealed his senses to its clanging arms and 
battle-smoke, its triumphs, its burdens, and its horrors, 
could have fallen upon no one readier to suffer and sacri- 
fice to the uttermost that the right might prevail. His 
years were such that he could not bear arms, but he 



1(5 OBITUARY ADDRESSES. 

plarod his rhildien in the ranks of onr Army, where one 
of tliem fell ; was constant and influential in his efforts 
for its support and reinforcement, and was present u\Km 
nearly every great battle-field of the Army of the Potomac 
to minister to the necessities of our wounded and dying. 

"We are such stuff 
As dreams are made of, and our little life 
Is rounded with a sleep." 

It is not impossible that before the close of the 
present session we may assemble here to look upon 
another vacant chair, and to listen again to the announce- 
ment that the Destroyer has passed through our midst. 
Could I know that the messenger of Death was already 
commissioned to one of us, the dearest wish of my heart 
for him would be that he might leave the world with as 
I)ure a record, official and private, as warm a place in the 
affections of his people, as little to regret in life past, and 
as much to hope in the future, as had the late member 
from Washington. 

Mr. J. H. N EG LET. 

Mr. Speaker, the virtues and character of Dr. Reed 
have been so faithfully expressed by his colleagues, that 
I almost hesitate to add anything; but I desire to express 
my sorrow for the great loss we have sustained in the 
death of our late fellow-member, and to add my testimony 
to his public and private worth. 



OBITUARY ADDRESSES, 17 

It seldom becomes the duty of this House to mourn 
the loss of such a man as Robert R. Reed, and it is fitting 
we should pay tribute to his memory. Custom, indeed, 
would i-equire respect from us on the occasion of the 
death of any member of the body, but in the loss of so 
good a man we have special cause of grief Who that 
served with him here during last session does not know 
the purity of his mind, the benevolence of his heart, the 
honesty of his purpose, the high character he bore in all 
respects'? Conscientious in the discharge of public trust, 
it would, indeed, be well if our legislative halls were filled 
with more such as he was. All knew and spoke of him 
as the upright and fearless man, the honest Representa- 
tive. He may be said to have sustained that high 
standard of character raised by the old Roman — he was 
"above suspicion." On his dying bed he might with 
perfect truth have exclaimed in the language of one of 
old, "In simplicity and sincerity I have had my conver- 
sation among men." 

Besides all this personal excellence of character. Dr. 
Reed was a man of more than ordinary education and 
attainments. He was a ripe scholar, a man of great 
literary taste and acquirements, of refined sentiment and 
cultivated mind; yet naturally very modest, unassuming, 
and unambitious. In a word, he may be taken as the 
correct model of a real gentleman. 

When, a few days ago, I saw the announcement of 



18 OBITUARY ADDRESSES. 

his death, it was with unusual regret. I was reluctantly 
compelled to believe it. From my boyhood, I may say, I 
have known him, and the high regard I had for him 
ripened into friendship through my intercourse with him 
here last session. My first recollection of him found him 
engaged in a work of humanity — the cause of coloniza- 
tion, in which he had great faith, and labored earnestly 
for many years. Humanity, benevolence, and charity 
were the distinguishing traits of his character. His 
whole life was spent in deeds of benevolence and acts of 
charity. None will miss him more than the poor. The 
Church, the Sabbath School, and religion will miss him 
greatly, for he was a sincere Christian, and their con- 
stant and active friend and supporter. We will miss 
him. The State will miss him. A pure and incor- 
ruptible patriot, he stood up for his Government, 
rendering her all the aid in his powei'. He often visited 
the camps and the hospitals to see and care for the 
sick and wounded soldiers of our army, and not long 
before the end of his days he was found on these errands 
of mercy. 

But he is gone! In the midst of usefulness he is 
taken from us. "^^'llo, when we last parted with him 
here, would have said that when the roll of names was 
again called, his would be the one to which there was no 
response — that he would be the absent and missing one. 
"While, then, we lament his loss, let us seek to imitate his 



OBITUARY ADDRESSES. 19 

virtues. Sooner or later we must follow him. The hour 
or the day we know not, for 

" To-morrow never yet, 

On any human being rose or set." 

Mr. GeorCxE H. Wells: 

Mr. Speaker, I cannot permit this occasion to pass 
without placing upon record some slight commendation 
of the late Dr. Reed. 

One year ago \^e met in this Hall, and then, for the 
first time, did I receive his cordial and manly greeting. 
My impressions were that he was a plain, practical man, 
with no pretensions to outside show, possessing a mind 
well cultivated, a vigorous understanding, and indomita- 
ble energy, with the ability to weigh and present an 
argument, and, withal, a man of sterling integrity and 
tried honesty. During the regular session of 1864, these 
first impressions became fixed in my mind. When we 
again met, at the extra session in August last, it was as 
old friends ; it seemed as though months had glided into 
years — that our intercourse had not been for days, but 
for a lifetime. 

Dr. Reed commanded the respect and esteem of the 
members of this House. He was courteous and kind to 
all, yet firm and determined when duty prompted; he 
was faithful as a legislator, always attentive to his duties. 

"God gave him reverence of laws, 
Yet sterling blooJ in freedom's cause." 



20 OBITUARY ADDRESSES. 



The hand of death, as unrelenting now as six thou- 
sand years ago, has suddenly taken from this Hall one of 
our best members; we are unexpectedly deprived of his 
counsel and his ripe experience. 

When a man dies his virtues live after him. This 
may be said, generally, of all men; but when a good man 
dies, communities. States, -and nations mourn. In the 
death of Dr. Reed we deplore our loss, not as being 
irreparable, and yet the man who fully and honorably 
meets the duties and responsibilities of the position now 
vacant, will be one of the few and not of the many. We 
can say of Dr. Heed — 

"The words which thou hast uttcr'd, 
Are of thy soul a part ; 
And the good seed thou hast scatter'd, 
Is springing from the heart." 

Such was Dr. Heed. AVould that all men were 
equally just — that all could merit the eulogies so heartily 
poured forth on this occasion ! Let us emulate the 
virtues of his generous and upriglit life, and we will 
better discharge our duties, not only as legislators, but as 
citizens in the more humble walks of life. I propose not 
to say more. 1 could not say less. 

" liCavi'S liavc their time to full, 
And flowers to wither at the north wind's breath, 

And stars to set — but all, 
Thou hast all seasons for thine own, O Death !" 



OBITUARY ADDRESSES. 21 

Mr. H. C. Alleman, (Dauphin County.) 

Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay my tribute of respect to 
the memory of the deceased member from Washington. 

It is true, sir, that one short year covered our ac- 
quaintance, yet it was of that peculiar, that intimate, and 
that confidential character, the memory of which time 
never effaces, and death only obliterates. The great 
disparity in our years made that friendship none the less 
strong, and none the less sincere. He was one of the 
oldest members of the last House of Representatives, and 
one of its most influential and accomplished legislators — 
1 was one of its youngest members, and a novice. This 
feeling of friendship between us, sir, was more of the 
character of a reciprocal, fraternal, and filial nature. I 
looked up to him as one would look to a father, for 
counsel and for advice. He reciprocated my confidence 
with unexpected kindness, and illumined my path with 
appreciated wisdom. 

I entered this Hall one year ago, uninitiated, and 
unsophisticated in the mysteries of legislation. I knew 
full well, sir, the expectations of my people, and I felt 
most keenly the responsibilities of my position. 1 felt 
like a lone bark at sea, and cast about for aid and com- 
fort. I threw my eyes around this Hall, and critically 
scrutinized each individual member. Ten years' expe- 
rience in the study of human nature, gave me some con- 
ception of human character, and although I entertained 



22 OBITUARY ADDRESSES. 

a proper respect for each of my representative colleagues 
— a full degree, to which their political positions entitled 
them — yet there were those for whom I entertained the 
most profound and kindly regard ; and prominent among 
that number was Dr. Robert R. Reed. At a single 
glance upon that open countenance of his, I recognized 
my idea of the legislator, the Statesman, and the com- 
panion. I saw the honest man in his every feature ; I 
read the gentleman in his every action, and felt the 
influence of the Christian by his very presence. I could 
look down through those bright eyes of his, and fathom 
the very depths of his soul. I could see there that big, 
throbbing heart of his, vibrating in sympathy with his 
fellow-beings, and radiating a glow of sunshine upon all 
with whom he came in contact. He was the man whom 
I selected as my counsellor, my adviser, and my friend. 

I at once determined to cultivate his acquaintance, 
and to court his friendship ; in this my success rivalled 
my fondest hopes, and most ardent expectations. 

I well remember, sir, the mingled look of surprise 
and kindness he gave me when I unbosomed myself to 
him, and declared my confidence in his ability, and my 
reliance upon his judgment. He overwhelmed me, sir, 
with kindness; and I owe to the memory of Dr. Reed the 
open confession, that many of my official actions during 
the last session of the Legislature were governed by his 
advice, and accorded with his judgment. I knew some- 



OBITUARY ADDRESSES. 23 



thing of his public life, and his experience as a legislatoi'; 
but the more I learned to know him personally, the 
better I loved him for those rare attributes of the States- 
man, the scholar, the Christian, and the gentleman com- 
bined, of which he was so fully possessed by both nature 
and education. 

He was born of gentle blood, he was bred a gentle- 
man, he lived a gentleman, and he died the gentleman. 
He was both carefully and classically educated, and to his 
accomplishments as a scholar, were added the virtues of 
an honest heart and of a pure Christian. 

He was the idol of his own family circle, the 
esteemed of all his neighbors, and had the respect of all 
who knew him. A man may be loved by his own family 
and yet be a bad man; but the man who is esteemed 
by his neighbors, and respected by his acquaintances, 
must have qualities of heart which no bad man can 
possess. 

"None knew him but to love him, 
None named him but to praise." 

But Dr. Reed, the honest legislator, the accomplished 
and Christian gentleman, is dead. 

It was customary, sir, among some of the nations of 
antiquity, upon the death of one of their rulers, one of 
their leaders, or any of their great men, to hold an 
inquest upon his character. If the verdict of that 
inquest was found to accord with the reputation of the 






24 OBITUARY ADDRESSES. 



dead man for honesty, for wisdom, and for greatness, his 
remains were embalmed with great care and at great 
expense, and a solemn eulogy was pronounced at his 
funeral. We are not here to-day, as the representatives 
of the people of Pennsylvania, to pronounce a verdict 
upon the character of Ur. Reed. Inquests have already 
been held, and their decisions in the shape of verdicts 
have already been announced. There has been an 
inquest held by his own family; there has been an 
inquest held by his own neighbors and constituents ; 
there has been an inquest held by the people of this 
great Commonwealth, and their verdicts are the unani- 
mous expressions of their judgments, made up from facts, 
and governed by both truth and justice. 

Dr. Robert R. Reed was an indulgent, an affec- 
tionate, and a Christian father. He was a whole-souled 
philanthropist, an unselfish and faithful representative, 
and a Christian gentleman. He was an upright States- 
man, a pure patriot, and (best of all) an honest man. 
Such verdicts, coming, too, from such juries, are not only 
wonderful in inception, truthful in character, and rare 
in consequence ; but they are the heart expressions of 
candor, of gratitude, and of truthfulness. We are not 
here simply to echo those verdicts; we are not here 
simply to endorse those verdicts ; but we arc here as the 
representatives of the people of I'ennsylvania to inscribe 
them in letters of living light high up upon the pinnacle 



OBITUARY ADDRESSES. 25 

of fame, that posterity may know that we not only respect, 
that we not only honor, but that we love the honest man. 
When he died, 

Tears fell from eyes unused to weep, 
Sighs burst from hearts unused to ache. 

Dr. Reed has gone to reap the rich harvest of a well 
spent life. He has gone to receive a crown of never- 
fading, and everlasting glory. He has gone to receive his 
sentence from a just God — "Well done, good and faithful 
servant; thou hast been mindful over a few things; I 
will make thee ruler over many; enter thou into the joy 
of thy Lord." 

His afflicted widow and bereaved family have our 
sincere sympathies in their dark hour of grief. They, 
however, have the happy consolation of knowing that the 
good Shepherd, "who tempereth the wind to the shorn 
lamb," will be a comforter to the widow, and a protector 
to the orphan. 

With aching hearts our tearful eyes turn to yonder 
sacred spot where 

" Sunset's golden overflow 
Touches the churchyard with its dream of heaven;" 

beneath its solemn glow, rest the remains of him we 
honored, and him we loved. 

We can do no more than pour out our libation upon 
his tomb — add one note to the grand requiem which all 



over this State bewails his death; mingle our tears with 
those whose hearts attest the sincerity of their grief; and 
pass by in solemn procession around his grave, drop one 
sprig of green upon his coffin, shed the unbidden tear 
upon his grave, and pluck from the bowers of celestial 
glory one sweet flower of loveliness, and entwine it in 
the chaplct of his unfading memory. 

"Though tears be shed 

O'er the honored dead, 
Let them not be tears of sorrow; 

Though calm is his sleep, 

Though silent and deep, 
Yet, the grave will have its to-morrow." 

Mr. C. L. Pepsding : 

For the first time, Mr. Speaker, in the four years 
that I have been a member of this body, one of our own 
number has been called upon to shake hands with death. 
One of the most intelligent and most upright members of 
this body has, since we last met here, been called upon to 
render his account at a higher tribunal. His vacant 
chair here to-day speaks in language more eloquent than 
any to which human lips can give utterance. I have no 
doubt, sir, that as the announcement of the death of Dr. 
Reed spread over the State, it touched the heart of every 
gentleman who had known him here with feelings of 
sadness. 1 know, sir, that that was the case with myself. 
His ear is now closed to the language of eulogy, and I 



OBITUARY ADDRESSES. 27 

can add nothing to what has ah'eady been so eloquently 
said by the gentlemen who have preceded me, and 
particularly by his immediate colleague [Mr. Kelley]. 
He has paid a fitting tribute to his memory. 

I had some acquaintance with Dr. Reed before we 
met here as members of this body. After we met here 
as fellow-members of this House our personal relations 
became more intimate. Associated together during the 
regular sessions of the House, in service upon com- 
mittees, and especially in service on a special committee 
raised at the end of the last session, and which met 
several times between the adjournment in May and our 
reassembling in August, I daily learned the more highly 
to appreciate the noble qualities of Dr. Reed, and a 
friendship was formed between us, which death alone has 
terminated. It is to me a mournful pleasure to bear this 
testimony to the ability and fidelity with which he dis- 
charged every duty. "The Christian is the highest style 
of man," and Dr. Reed was a Christian. He has ceased 
from his labors, "and his works do follow him." May 
this admonition, at the very opening of this session, have 
a salutary efl^ect upon us all! 

We know not how soon we may be called upon to 
account for the manner in which we have discharged our 
duties. Dr. Reed was taken away suddenly. 

But a few weeks before the opening of this session 
I met him in Pittsburg, and as we gave the parting hand. 



28 OBITUART ADDRESSES. 



each to the other, it was with expressions of pleasure in 
the prospect of spending another winter together. An 
All-wise Providence ordained that that meeting should 
never take place on earth. 

I have no doubt the labors of Ur. Reed in the 
hospitals of the army, where his professional skill and 
friendly counsel will be missed by the sick and wounded, 
as they will be by many others elsewhere, tended to 
hasten his death. "With a constitution not naturally 
robust, these labors of love made him a more easy victim 
of the terrible disease of which he died. In the midst of 
his usefulness he has been taken to a higher sphere, 
leaving to his family a precious memory, and to us a 
briglit example. Whilst we here pay this tribute to his 
character, ho is enjoying the bliss of immortality above, 

" What is man's history ? Born— living— dying ! 
Leaving the calm shore for the troubled wave ; 
'Mid storms, and clouds, and broken shipwrecks flying, 
He casts his anchor in the silent grave." 

The resolutions of Mr. Kelley were uncanimously adopted. 
Whereupon the Speaker adjourned the House until Tuesday 
morning at eleven o'clock. 



OBITUARY ADDRESSES. 29 



Senate of Pennsylvania, 
Wednesday, January 4, 1865. 

Mr. Wm. Hopkins rose and said: — 

Mr. Speaker, I rise for the purpose of performing 
the most painful and solemn duty of my public life. 
For although in the course of a somewhat protracted 
connection with the Legislature of the Commonwealth, 
in bygone years, I have frequently been called upon -to 
unite with my fellow-members in the last sad rite to- 
ward a departed brothei*, yet never before has it fallen 
to my lot to announce the death of a member from my 
own county. But, sir, since we separated here in August 
last, Dr. Robert R. Reed, a member of the other house 
from Washington County, has been summoned to his 
final account. He died, after a brief illness, on the night 
of the 14th of December. 

To do justice to the life and character of the 
deceased, would be the task of one more gifted than 
myself; but I cannot allow the occasion to pass without 
at least attempting to I'ender an humble tribute to his 
memory. 

I have known Doctor Reed intimately for over 
thirty years, and I intend it as no mere idle compliment, 
when I say that a more honorable, high-minded man I 



30 OBITUARY ADDRESSES, 

never knew. In all the relations of life he was a perfect 
model of a C'hristian gentleman. "What more could be 
said of any manl 

In political views I generally differed from the 
Doctor; but that difference never for a moment disturbed 
our social relations. While he firmly adhered to his 
own oj)inions on all questions of public policy, he was 
yet a stranger to that miserable bigotry which unfortu- 
nately characterizes too many at the present day. He 
always possessed sufficient magnanimity to concede to 
otliers that which he claimed for himself. He was 
tolerant and courteous towards his opponents, and, as a 
natural result of a cultivated mind influenced by the 
teachings of inspiration, his deportment, wherever he 
moved, was peculiarly attractive. Would to God that 
more of us were actuated by the same noble spirit ! 

On two occasions Dr. Reed and myself were com- 
peting candidates for political i)referment. At alternate 
times each was successful over the other; and I am 
entirely satisfied that an unkind word, in reference to 
myself, never escaped his lips; and now that he is gone, 
it is a source of pleasing reflection that this courtesy was 
uniformly reciprocated. In regard to his public life, it 
may be truly said of him, that "the office sought the man, 
and not the man the office." His innate modesty always 
prompted him rather to shun than to seek promotion. 
In the earlier part of his life he was, I believe, twice 



OBITUARY ADDRESSES. 81 

nominated for the House of Representatives without 
solicitation ; but the party with which he was identified 
being in the minority at the time, he was defeated. 

In 1848 he was nominated for Congress in the dis- 
trict then composed of the counties of Washington and 
Beaver, and was elected over the individual who now 
addresses you; and the duties of the position he dis- 
charged with scrupulous fidelity. His next appearance 
in political life was in 1863, when during his absence 
from home on a mission of mercy among the soldiers, he 
was nominated for the House, and but for the impor- 
tunity of friends would have declined ; but having yielded, 
was elected, and was re-elected in the late canvass. 

In all benevolent enterprises Dr. Reed was always 
foremost. His heart and hand were ever ready to respond 
to the appeals of charity. Perhaps no man in the com- 
munity, in like circumstances, contributed more liberally 
of time and money. He " visited the fatherless and the 
widow in their afflictions," and kept "himself unspotted 
from the world." In a word, in imitation of the example 
of his Divine Master, he "went about doing good." 

For a number of years he acted as Vice President, 
and afterwards as Agent, of the Pennsylvania Coloniza- 
tion Society, in which philanthropic enterprise he ren- 
dered most efficient service. 

For some thirty-six years he was a consistent and 
devout member of the Presbyterian church, during seven- 



teen years of which time he was a ruling Elder. This 
responsible position he filled with that meekness and 
fidelity which always characterize the true Christian. 
He was for a period of twenty-six years Superintendent 
of the Sabbath School connected with his church, and it 
is no exaggeration to say that in the administration of 
the affairs of that office he had few equals, and no 
superiors — such was his peculiar faculty of ingratiating 
himself into the affections of his scholars, that they all 
loved him as they did their parents. 

Those whose privilege it was to enjoy the personal 
acquaintance of Dr. Reed, during the last session of the 
Legislature, need not be told that in his social inter- 
course he was eminently genial. All will remember how 
gracefully and pleasantly he uniformly greeted his 
fellows. His highest aim seemed to be to render all 
around him happy. How sad, then, oh, how sad, to 
realize that he who, as it were but yesterday, mingled 
with us in these Halls, in the Committee-room, and in 
the social circle, with all the vivacity of vigorous man- 
hood, now sleeps in yonder cemetery, in the cold embrace 
of death. 

Were it proper to invade the sanctity of the domestic 
circle, I might unfold to view the still more ennobling 
traits of this good man's character, but a remark or two 
on this point must suffice. It was here where all the 
Christian graces shone in all their excellency. 



OBITUARY ADDRESSES. 83 

In the discharge of his duties in the endearing and 
responsible relation of husband and father, he, perhaps, 
approximated perfection as closely as is possible for frail 
mortal to do. The result of his precepts and example 
may be seen in the deportment of the family he reared, 
some of whom have gone before him, and their angelic 
spirits, doubtless, welcomed that of their father to the 
mansions of eternal bliss. What a sublime theme for 
reflection! Who would not desire to imitate the 
example of such a man 1 Others of his family survive 
him to adorn society. But I must not trespass. He is 
gone; and I will only add the expression of my pro- 
foundest sympathy for his amiable and accomplished 
widow, and excellent family of children in their irre- 
parable loss. 

His constituents, as well as the State at large, have 
lost a pure and incorruptible public servant, whose 
private life and character should serve as exemplars to 
us all in these degenerate times, and whose memory we 
should all revere. 

The Senator from Allegheny (Mr. Bigham) will, I 
understand, ofi'er some appropriate resolutions. 

After Mr. Hopkins closed his remarks, 
Mr. Bigham oiFered the following resolutions: — 
Resolved, That the Senate has heard with deep regret the 
announcement of the death of Hon. Robert R. Reed, a member 
of the House of Representatives from Washington County. 



34 OBITUARY ADDRESSES. 

Resolved, That in his decease the Commonwealth has lost 
an able and faithful representative, and the Legislature one of 
the most useful and accomplished members. 

Resolved, That wc deeply sympathize with the afflicted 
family of the deceased, and bear to them the assurance of the 
esteem of his fellow-members. 

Resolved, That the Clerk of the Senate be directed to trans- 
mit a copy of these resolutions to the family of the deceased. 

Resolved, That out of respect to his memory the Senate now 
adjourn. 

Mr. T. J. BiGHAM. 

I have known Dr. Reed a period of thirty years, 
and agree with what the Senator, wlio has just addressed 
you, has said with reference to his excellencies in all the 
relations of life, public and private. I have known him 
intimately, and know his family and connections. Dr. 
Reed had fewer antipathies than almost any man I have 
ever known. I believe I have never heard, in public or 
in private, or in any of the relations of society, a single 
remark by him that would wound the feelings of friend 
or foe; and, next to the Senator from his own district, I 
have probably known him much longer and more inti- 
mately than any Senator here. I desire to add, simply, 
a word of cordial endorsement with reference to what 
has been said. He exhibited in all the relations of life 
the characteristics of the Christian and the gentleman. 
He was faithful to his friends, courteous to his opponents, 



OBITUARY ADDRESSES. 



35 



just to all men of any race, creed, or color. If we all 
acted after the example set us by our deceased friend, 
political contests would be robbed of most of their 
bitterness. 



The yeas and nays being called on the resolution of Mr. 
BiGHAM, the roll was called with the following result: — 

Yeas — Messrs. Beardslee, Bigham, Bucher, Champneys, 
Clymer, Connell, Donovan, Dunlap, Fleming, Graham, Haines, 
Hall, Hoge, Hopkins, Householder, Jame's, Latta, Lowry, 
M'Candless, M'Sherry, Montgomery, Nichols, Randall, Ridgway, 
Royer, Schall, Stark, St. Clair, Wallace, Walls, Wilson, Worth- 
ington, and Turrell, Speaker — 33. 

Nays — None. 

So the resolutions were unanimously adopted. 









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